Product Description

London, 1019: a few months have passed since Thorgils has escaped the clutches of the Irish Church only to find himself at the centre of a capricious love affair with Aelfgifu, wife of Knut the Great, ruler of England, and one of the most powerful men of the Viking empire. A passionate relationship between two unlikely lovers begins to unfold, which forebodes uncontrollable consequences…

When Thorgils is finally on the run again, he meets Grettir, an outlaw who is feared by most for his volatile and brooding behaviour. The two men become travel companions and sworn brothers – which binds them together beyond death. At the gates of Byzantium Thorgils' loyalty is put to the ultimate test...

Sworn Brother continues an utterly compelling journey back in time to a world that is brimming with wonderfully crafted characters and their insatiable hunger for riches and renown.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12077 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

About the Author

Tim Severin, explorer, traveller, author, film-maker and lecturer has made many expeditions, most recently in search of Moby Dick and Robinson Crusoe, and has written books about all of them. Viking is his first historical fiction trilogy.

Customer Reviews

2nd book as good as the 1st!
This is an excellent 2nd book in the trilogy.
Following on from the 1st book "Odinn's Child" we join Thorgils in England, where we discover he has become the lover of King Knut's wife Aelfgifu. And to not give too much more away THAT is just the start of yet another book full of adventure, mysticism and intrigue!

There are some more interesting cultures introduced when Thorgils finds himself in Finland and then on his path to Constantinople, which is a great addition, to use the old viking trade routes. A lot of story happens between England and his trail to Constantinople though.....in fact the book is packed with new plots and twists the reader didn't see coming.

The writing is again of high quality, allowing the reader to "see" and experience everthing Thorgils goes through. There is some wonderful continuity with characters from "Odinn's Child" reappearing in this volume, adding even more depth to their personas. There are some great new characters too, including the main new character of Grettir....a fascinating Icelandic man, and a guy called Edgar.

Again we travel along as Thorgils describes his life, it's highs its lows and its moments of new experiences. It's a truly fabulous book, and bringing in a couple of new cultures from the age adds even more to the world it's set in. It's also nice to see at the end, the author relates the real story(folk tale/history) that he based his latest work around. Excellent read, can't wait for the 3rd book now! 5 Stars!

So far so good!
New (to me!) authors make me nervous. All too often, the shiny cover of the book promises a treat that the words within fail to deliver. Having being burnt rather too often of late, this time I decided to save my hard earned cash and borrowed Tim Severyn's trilogy from my local library instead. Typical! These books are definitely worth the money. The books have a great 'voice' and, even better, contain more Vikings than you can shake a stick at!

I've just finished book two and I loved it. Thorgils (the hero) is a wonderful travelling companion with whom to explore the mysteries, and peoples, of the ancient world. It's a really easy read too, even though we encounter real historical characters en route. There isn't a dull piece of prose to be found anywhere. I particularly enjoyed seeing how the Norse Gods fare against the White Christ and His followers. The similarities between the religions are fascinating. But changes are a-coming and the Old Wisdom is under threat. I even experienced a few pangs of fear for the intrepid Thorgils. I hope Odinn keeps on protecting him!


Buy all three books. A darn good read!

Change.
Not having read a book following this form of storyline before was a change for me and have to admit that during the first pages I was wondering why I'd bought it. However I did, and read on.

Not a book that could be described as a "can't put down" but none the less I had to keep picking it up, finding it strangely compelling and as such really enjoyed it.
So much so that I will be continuing the saga on the release of the second book in the trilogy.